Frequently Asked Questions

What are the dates of the 2019 CSA seasons?WINTER 2019 CSA (6 WEEKS): January 15th - February 22nd, 2019SPRING 2019 CSA: TBDFALL 2018 CSA: TBD​What is a CSA?CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Generally, CSA is a business arrangement where farmers sell their produce directly to local consumers. The consumers make a seasonal commitment to a single farm or a group of farms and pay for all or part of their share in advance. In exchange, consumers receive a weekly box of produce which is their “share” of that season’s harvest. There are plenty of variations of the traditional CSA, but one thing that all CSAs have in common is that they allow community members to actively participate in the local food system.​​What size CSA share should I sign up for?Two thirds of our current members sign up for the Value Share each season – and these members range from individuals and couples all the way to larger families. With the Value Share, new members will get a taste of what CSA is all about without being overwhelmed by the amount of produce in the Full Share. We recommend you start with the Value Share. If it turns out that the Value Share does not provide you enough produce, you can always upgrade to a Full Share. Please note that the Winter CSA has only one size option.

​How much produce is in a CSA share? For our Spring and Fall seasons, we provide two share size options to our members. The Full Share is designed to provide the shareholder a good portion of their weekly vegetables. The Full Share generally contains 8 to 10 items per week. Our smaller share option is the Value Share which will have 5 to 7 items each week. The Value Share is designed to provide produce for smaller families and individuals that spend less time cooking on a weekly basis. For our Winter CSA season, we provide one share size option to our members. Our Winter Veggie Share contains 6 to 8 items per week.

What kind of resources about cooking and storing produce does Collective Harvest provide?All members will receive a weekly CSA newsletter chock full of recipes, updates from the farms, and tips and tricks for produce storage and preparation. We know that you may sometimes receive items in your share that you are unfamiliar with, and we believe it is extremely important to provide our CSA members will the tools necessary to successfully use their CSA produce each week. Still have questions about using specific items? Ask the staff person at your pickup location for additional help!

​How do I pay for my CSA share?Select your share option and provide your credit or debit card information on our website. You can pay all at once or sign up for a payment plan. If you choose the payment plan, you will be asked to put 25% down when you sign up, pay 25% the week of your first pickup, and the remainder of your balance will be divided equally and debited from your card weekly for the remainder of the CSA.

Please contact us directly at lisa@collectiveharvestathens.com if you are interested in the CSA but are concerned about paying for your share in full by the start of the season. We offer discounted shares to lower-income individuals and families interested in joining the CSA community. You can find more information about our Fresh Food Fund here.

Can I send someone else in my place to pick up my CSA share?Of course! Feel free to send a family member, friend or even neighbor to pick up your share if you are unable to make your pickup.

Can I split my CSA share with another individual or family outside of my household?Of course! We are happy to allow you to split a share with another family or individual, but you are responsible for setting up the split and any payments that will be made to Collective Harvest. Some of our current members swap off with another person so that they receive a share every other week instead of every week. We also have members that split shares and both show up at the pickup location each week to divide the produce out equally. Either option is fine – set up the system that works best for you! All we ask is that you set up the pickup schedule with the person or family with whom you are splitting your share BEFORE the season starts so that there won’t be any confusion at the first pickup.

What kinds of items will I receive in my Winter CSA share?Although every season is a little bit different, here is a list of items you will typically see during the Winter season: beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, lettuce, radishes, spinach, sweet potatoes, turnips and winter squash.